This specification describes clinical executive positions with comprehensive management responsibility for delivery of clinical patient care.  Positions within this class may be assigned a working title as the statewide Chief or Assistant Chief in any of the following programs:  Pharmacy, Radiology, Laboratory, Optometry, Podiatry, Respiratory, Dietary, and Rehabilitation Services.  Positions allocated to this classification have regular and substantial contact with inmates, including private meetings with inmates; are responsible for maintaining the safety of persons and property; maintaining order and supervising the conduct of inmates; maintaining security in working areas and with regard to medication and work materials; inspecting premises for contraband, such as weapons or illegal drugs; observing and intervening in inmate behavior that may signal disruptive or assaultive behavior; and taking steps to defuse potentially volatile situations.

All positions allocated to this classification are clinical executives in their respective discipline within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, adult institutions and are responsible for essential components of comprehensive clinical care being delivered 24-hours per day and 7 days per week; manage and coordinate the given clinical service; plan for service delivery in any new facilities; participate in the development of enterprise-wide health information technology; ensure that practices comply with appropriate standards to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered care; ensure that institutions statewide have implemented an effective system that certifies competence to perform clinical duties; ensure that all services and patient record keeping are in compliance with federal and state laws and regulations; provide direct supervision of staff; functionally supervise regional and/or institutional managers of their clinical discipline regarding standards of practice, optimal medical work processes, and achievement thereof; participate in the selection of the institutional managers and recommend the appointment of candidates to the hiring authority; develop and monitor performance expectations; perform competency assessments; mentor and coach clinical personnel throughout the state; assist in evaluating staff and recommend corrective and adverse action to the hiring authority; develop and maintain ongoing programs to deliver, monitor, evaluate, and improve the quality and appropriateness of clinical care within their discipline; responsible for continuous quality improvements and sustainable constitutional levels of clinical care; ensure that clinical services are well-functioning and that the timely delivery of patient care is available to all patients in accordance with appropriate standards of care; provide guidance and direction to subordinates in carrying out their responsibilities to ensure an even flow of work assignments, personnel, and patients; ensure and maintain required documentation for compliance with pertinent licensing, regulatory and legal requirements; ensure compliance with safety, environmental and infection control standards; develop, implement, maintain and enforce clinical service policies, procedures and protocols; direct the development and implementation of clinical service staffing plans; ensure that all employees are properly oriented, trained, and that annual competencies, certifications, and licensure and education requirements are current; enhance professional growth and development of department staff through participation in educational programs, current literature, in-service meetings and workshops; compile and prepare reports and analyses reflecting volume of work, procedures utilized and output results and setting forth progress, adverse trends and appropriate recommendations and/or conclusions; assess and communicate recommendations for utilization of space, space needs, personnel and other resources as needed to meet patient needs; evaluate and recommend supplies, new equipment purchase selection and technologies; formulate and assist with the formulation of operational and capital budgets, negotiate and manage contracts with vendors as needed to ensure adequate care; make decisions or effectively recommend a course of action with regard to management of the clinical budget; participate in space and program planning for any new health care facilities; participate in planning for new information technology solutions and serve as subject matter expert as needed; serve on interdisciplinary clinical committees as requested; develop and foster collaboration with medical staff, nursing, other clinical departments, and custody staff to ensure an integrated and coordinated approach to providing services and resolution of complaints or problems. 

and

Clinical experience in a correctional facility; and experience in health care program design and development. 

Professional/technical expertise:  Is comprehensively knowledgeable of the most current information, techniques, practices, laws, and regulations of the field; has clear developmental record of formal and on-the-job acquisition of knowledge and skills of the occupation; uses knowledge and judgment in applying appropriate methods and techniques to ensure speed, quality, and consistency in work products; and handles the most challenging tasks requiring technical expertise.

 

Customer and patient focus:  Shows interest in and understanding of the needs, expectations, and circumstances of internal and external customers and patients at the individual, group, or organizational level; explores options and pursues solutions to resolve issues of customers or patients; is responsive, pleasant, and professional; looks at the organization and its services from the customer’s and patient’s point of view; and seeks and uses customer and patient feedback to improve services or products.

 

Teamwork:  Understands his/her role on the team, yet does whatever is needed to make the team successful; helps team members who need or ask for support or assistance; puts team results ahead of personal success; brings out the best in others on the team; and shares credit for group accomplishments.

 

Valuing diversity:  Sees the benefit of having differing backgrounds and points of view in the workplace, and leverages those differences in group processes and decision making; and supports professional development and career opportunity equally for all.

 

Managing performance:  Sets and aligns individual performance goals with the goals of the unit; involves employees in setting their performance goals; ensures employees have the means and skills to accomplish their goals; tracks and measures individual and unit performance; provides ongoing feedback; treats all employees in an objective and consistent manner; and intervenes to correct poor performance, following steps of progressive discipline.

 

Leadership:  Creates a positive work environment in which all staff are motivated to do their best; ensures that clear, challenging, and attainable goals are set for a group and that these goals are aligned with the goals of the organization/department; ensures that the importance and benefits of goals and methods are understood and accepted by those who will carry them out; and conveys confidence and optimism in the group’s ability to overcome obstacles and accomplish its goals.

 

Planning and organizing:  Determines the logically necessary sequence of activities and the efficient level of resources needed to achieve a goal; recognizes and addresses the interdependencies of activities and resources; clarifies roles and responsibilities; anticipates problems and mitigates risks; and produces a realistic schedule of completion.

 

Organizational savvy:  Understands the inner workings and interrelationships of the organization; knows whose support is needed to cut red tape; gets things done through formal channels and informal networks; maintains good working relationships with key players throughout the organization; and aligns and maneuvers organizational resources and internal politics skillfully to solve problems or accomplish goals.

 

Process improvement:  Knows how to separate and combine activities into efficient workflow; benchmarks best practices in the industry; knows what to measure and how to measure it for tracking quality, quantity, schedule, resource utilization, and customer feedback; knows how to identify process problems and opportunities for improvement and simplification; and leverages technology.

 

Developing others:  Coaches others regardless of performance level; shows insight into causes of poor performance and how performance can be improved; shares knowledge and expertise willingly; offers on-going feedback, suggestions, and encouragement; acknowledges progress and growth; and supports others’ career development plans.

 

Managing change:  Understands the dynamics of organizational change; knows and guides the planning, process changes, role redefinition, retraining, incentive, and communication steps in transitioning from one organizational state to another; involves key stakeholders in planning and decision making; maintains a high level of communication about the reasons, benefits, opportunities, and difficulties of change; and encourages others and supports them through the transition.

 

Strategic view:  Focuses on the future and where current trends will lead; understands the factors that are shaping the industry and anticipates the opportunities that will be opening and closing; keeps an eye on the big picture and long-range possibilities and implications; and makes, evaluates, and revises long-range plans and goals taking into consideration the organization’s core competencies, customers, competition, available resources, and strengths and weaknesses.

 

Assessing Talent:  Understands and recognizes the qualities that differentiate highly successful employees from the average ones; is an astute observer of others’ performance; shows skill in asking questions and eliciting detailed and accurate information regarding others’ capabilities and weaknesses; and reaches well-articulated conclusions regarding others’ strengths and developmental needs.

 

Relationship Building:  Develops and maintains work relationships and continuously works to improve relationships, contacts, and network; maintains an open and approachable manner and easily builds rapport with others; respects others regardless of differences in interest, perspectives, background, and organizational level; and treats others sensitively, fairly, and consistently.

 

Negotiating:  Gains rapport and trust from other parties; works from a strong knowledge base; wins concessions from others; seeks mutually agreeable trade-offs in deal-making; questions and counters others’ proposals without damaging relations; holds ground appropriately; and knows how to walk away amicably with the best deal possible.

 

Handling Conflict:  Deals with interpersonally and/or politically challenging situations calmly and diplomatically, diffusing tension; thoughtfully intervenes in conflicts to facilitate communication and resolve problems, finding common ground when possible; and handles complaints and disputes with composure and tact.

 

Oral Communication:  Uses correct vocabulary and grammar; presents information clearly and in an organized manner; gets to the point; questions others skillfully; recognizes nonverbal cues in listeners and adjusts speech and tone accordingly; adjusts word choice according to the audience and purpose; and uses tone, inflection, pauses, and body language for increased impact.

Special Personal Characteristics

Incumbents must possess the willingness to work in a correctional facility; possess a sympathetic and objective understanding regarding the problems of inmate-patients; and be tactful and patient.

 

Incumbents must possess and maintain sufficient strength, agility, and endurance to perform during physically, mentally, and emotionally stressful and emergency situations encountered on the job without endangering their own health and well-being or that of their fellow employees, forensic clients, patients, inmates, or the public. 

Pharmacy.  Pharmacy services are provided via licensed pharmacies in local institutions supported by headquarters pharmacy leadership and the statewide Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee.  Pharmacy executives are responsible for statewide procurement and for a statewide coordinated system for inventory control, distribution and storage of all medications in compliance with federal and state laws and regulations, as well as for the planning, operations, policy, personnel, quality, and financial functions described above.

Radiology.  Radiology services include general radiography, fluoroscopy, computed tomography, magnetic resonance, ultrasound, and mammography.  Radiology executives are responsible for ensuring an integrated and coordinated approach to meeting patients’ radiology needs through a combination of stationary and mobile, on-site and off-site equipment, staff, and providers increasingly supported by telemedicine and health information technology; for ensuring that engineering and maintenance services are adequate; and for the planning, operations, policy, personnel, quality, and financial functions described above.

 

Laboratory.  Laboratory services include phlebotomy and other sample collection procedures, transfusion management, and analysis via chemistry, hematology, microbiology, histology and cytology.  Laboratory executives are responsible for ensuring that patients’ laboratory needs are met through an integrated combination of equipment, staff, and providers, both on-site and off-site; for ensuring that engineering and maintenance services are adequate; and for the planning, operations, policy, personnel, quality, and financial functions described above.

 

Optometry.  Optometry services are provided to patients primarily on-site.  Optometry executives are responsible for ensuring that patients’ optometry needs are met; for ensuring that optometry and ophthalmology services are integrated; and for the planning, operations, policy, personnel, quality, and financial functions described above.

 

Podiatry.  Podiatry services are provided to patients primarily on-site.  Podiatry executives are responsible for ensuring that patients’ podiatry needs are met; for ensuring that podiatrists work in concert with primary care providers, surgeons, nurses, and other staff; and for the planning, operations, policy, personnel, quality, and financial functions described above.

 

Respiratory.  Respiratory care services are provided onsite or off-site to patients with acute or chronic respiratory conditions.  Respiratory care executives are responsible for ensuring that patients’ respiratory care needs are met; for ensuring that respiratory therapists work in concert with primary care providers, medical specialists, nurses, and other staff; and for the planning, operations, policy, personnel, quality, and financial functions described above.

 

Dietary.  Dietary services encompass oversight of nutritional programs and individual patient dietary care.  Dietary executives are responsible for ensuring that patients’ nutritional and dietary care needs are met; for ensuring that dietitians work in concert with primary care providers, medical specialists, nurses, and other staff; and for the planning, operations, policy, personnel, quality, and financial functions described above.

 

Rehabilitation.  Rehabilitation services encompass physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, audiology, and recreational therapy services, that may be provided onsite or off-site to enable patient recovery or maintenance of function.  Rehabilitation services executives are responsible for ensuring that patients’ rehabilitation needs are met; for ensuring that rehabilitation staff members work in concert with primary care providers, physiatrists, nurses, and other staff; and for the planning, operations, policy, personnel, quality, and financial functions described above.